My new Idol + Recipes + Meet Ellie + More!!

Yes, I have a new idol, and she is GREAT!!! I have been making Ellie Krieger recipes for more than a year now and every single one I have tried turned out delicious, and now I am even more excited because she just released a Cookbook, and it is the best cookbook ever!!!
I simply LOVE her book, it is pretty, full of pictures and recipes that are not only tasty and flavorful but also good for you! The book is filled with tips and ideas which beside being helpful and useful also teach us a lot about nutrition and why some foods are so good for us, plus all the recipes have nutritional information.
I love, love, love the book, so much so that I decided to make as many recipes from it as I can!!
And I have already an advantage, as I have made many of her recipes just from watching her cooking show on TV during the past year.
Ohh, but what is better than watching your idol on TV?? Of course, meeting her in person, and I did it too!!!
Ellie was in a city close to where I live in the beginning of the month for a "Luncheon" at a very nice specialty food store. In December I saw on the store's website she would be coming and immediately signed up and couldn't wait for February to come. (and I also pre-ordered the book - which was released in January)
Well, the day finally came and I got to meet Ellie, and to sit at the same table that she was! (and there were another 10 tables on the same place) Am I lucky or what?? She is the nicest person, delicate, pretty, fun, and most of all she talked just like one of us, not someone superior just because she was famous.
I loved talking to her, asking her question, and even talked a little about me, as she got interested that I was from Brazil!
It was a lovely luncheon where we tried 4 of her recipes (from the book), we talked, had good food and I even got a picture taken with her and had my book signed!
So, for now on be prepared because a lot of Ellie's recipes will show up around here!

And if you missed, take a look at the ones I have already made:
Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart : My very favorite, I love this recipe!!
Greek Style Stuffed Peppers : Declared to be the best stuffed peppers ever at our home!
Green Pea Soup : easy, delicious and with a beautiful green color, another one I like a lot!
Turkey Meatloaf : by far the best turkey loaf, I only use this recipe ever since I made it for the first time!
Dark Chocolate Mousse : creamy and chocolatey, yum!

Since it is the weekend and we have some time to play in the morning I will start by posting a delectable breakfast treat, and what better than pancakes for breakfast right?! Ellie's Pancakes, of course!! :-)
These Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce were delicious, light and fluffy and the strawberry sauce added just the right sweetness to it all!
Super simple and easy to make, plus the sauce can easily be made with frozen strawberries (which is what I did!), which make it even more convenient to make these at any time of the year!
Matheus drizzeld his with honey as he loves it, but the sauce was enough to make the pancakes amazingly good!
I will leave here with the recipe and will be back pretty soon with more from this amazing book!
Thanks Ellie!!
Ana

Whole Wheat Pancakes With Strawberry Sauce
(Adapted from Ellie Krieger's book "The Food You Crave")

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.
Coat a large nonstick griddle or skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium-low heat.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom,after about 1 1/2 minutes. Then cook until the other side is golden brown, about another 1 1/2 minutes. Keep the pancakes warm in a 200F oven as you finish cooking the remaining ones.
Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Strawberry sauce:
16 ounces fresh strawberries, or 4 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey (I used 1 tablespoon)

In a blender process strawberries to a chunky puree. Heat the sauce in a small saucepan over a low flame, until just warm. Stir in lemon juice and .

Yield: 4 servings

Oh look, look, it's Me and Ellie!!

Strawberry Bread

We went strawberry picking this past weekend again and between the three of us and Matheus' excitement filling his own little basket we ended up with lots of the sweetest red little gems!
Our favorite way of eating them is of course simply by washing and devouring, one by one, two by two... oh my, they are so sweet, so fresh, so delicious, I even fell like I don't want to crush them in the blender or other appliance at all.
However, after a couple of days the strawberries do start to loose their shine a bit and there is when I get into the kitchen to make some goodies - The husband though goes into the pantry, grabs a can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it over his chopped fruit, making them even more decadent and sweet!
Talking about the husband, his favorite strawberry concoction, besides the condensed milk thing, is Strawberry Muffins, which I have posted here before and have made twice this past two weeks.
Yesterday though I decided to make another baked goody just to change things a little, and went with a Strawberry Bread that I had already tried before but not posted here.
So, here I am to share this one with you. Very simple, yet delicious; it came out so good that it didn't last 48 hours in our house this time. It was snack, breakfast, and even caused a little fight between "the boys" to see who was having the last bite, yes, I mean the last bite, which was full of strawberries and both of them wanted to eat, can you believe that?!!!
I adapted this recipe from one posted at the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards a couple years ago. I make it every strawberry season ever since, have given it to friends, and everyone seems to enjoy it a lot.
This time I didn't have any white sugar around so I made it with brown sugar and it came out even better, a little darker than I was expecting but so good that I might try doing it this way from now on! Oh, and I sprinkled mine with sliced almonds, which not only gave it a nice look but also a great crunch on top.
Enjoy!! But hey, no need to fight, the recipe can be easily doubled and freezes beautifully too! I am making another one tomorrow for us! hehehe!!
Ana

Strawberry Bread
(Adapted from CLBB, posted by Lillith)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cups sugar (can use brown sugar too)
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 cups nuts or almonds (optional) - I used chopped almonds this time but actually prefer walnuts for this one

In a bowl mis together, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Add eggs and oil and mix well to combine. Fold in strawberries and nuts (is using) - the batter will be thick. Pour batter into a greased 9-inches loaf pan. Bake at 350F for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in the pan, then invert onto a rack and let it cool completely.
(resist the temptation and wait for it to cool a little bit before cutting... I know, it is hard, especially with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked good in the kitchen, but it will pay off, and the cake won't desintegrate!!)

Strawberry Tarts

As promised, I am back to share the recipe with you! It may look difficult, but making these little tarts is not too hard, you just have to program yourself and set some time to complete the process. Not complicated, but you need to wait until the crust is cool to add the filling and also make sure the custard filling is completely cool before adding the jell-o on top (or it will not set up properly, besides being absorbed by the creme and crust).
I have other recipes but this time decided to try one I found at Cybercook's discussion forum, which was posted a while ago by Bell Ricci.
The only thing I would do differently next time I make would be trying to reduce the sugar amount in the crust. I didn't have any difficulties with the dough, except I think it was way to sweet for my tastes. It came out crisp and beautiful, and with no cracks at all. I really liked the crust and working with it, it was certainly worth trying the original recipe the first time around, and for the next trials I may just try making it less sweet.
If you enjoy sweet desserts, then absolutely do it as the recipe says. It was sweet for me, but my husband loved it and said it was perfect! Go figure!
The filling was easy to make and very delicious, just the custard with the strawberries alone would already make a yummy dessert - something to keep in mind if you don't want to bother with the crust...
My sister loves Strawberry Tart and I was thinking about her all the time while making and enjoying these treats. I wish she could be here to taste it with us... Well, if she comes during summertime then I may make these again! This is for you sister, love and miss you much!!
Ana

Strawberry Tart
crust:
3 cups flour (don't put it all at once, you might need less than this)
100 grams butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until it forms a dough. (It might seem a little dry, but don't worry, it will magically come together while it rests in the fridge, really!!) Shape dough into a small disc, wrap it with plastic and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 (180C).
Using your fingertips, press the dough into a 9-inch (24 cm) tart pan or pie plate. Make it as even as possible, trying to not leave the bottom too thin.
Bake the crust for about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't get dark. Remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, make the filling:

Custard Filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (500ml) milk
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it reaches a boil and the cream thickens. Let it cool a bit and then pour it over the cooled crust. (you might want to cover it with plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface of the cream so it won't form a crust - or simply don't bother with that, remove the "top skin" with a spoon and set it aside for yourself, it is yummy, and yes, I do love the skin on puddings too!!)
Let the filled crust cool in the refrigerator for a while.

Wash, stem, and halve enough strawberries to put on top of the crust. Fit as many as you want, making any pattern you like. Be gentle so the strawberries don't "squish" into the creme. Put tje tart in the fridge while you prepare one box of Strawberry jell-o according to the package directions. Put jell-o on a bowl and park it in the fridge. Let it cool down and set up until it reaches an "egg white" consistency. Keep checking constantly after about 20 minutes so that it won't set to hard. You still want it to be pourable, not too thick, but not too liquidy that the crust would absorb it. (I hope you guys can understand what I mean... if not, please contact me and I will certainly help!)
Carefully pour the jell-o on top of the strawberries in the tart. Do this very slowly, using the help of a spoon if needed, so the jell-o doesn't overflow. Alternatively, you might want to spoon it on top of the tart, instead of pouring it directly. Do whatever feels more comfortable for you. I pour when making bigger tarts (using a spoon to smooth it out and get the jell-o in between the fruit) and spoon it when making "mini" ones, which was the case this time I made them.
Put the tart in the fridge and let cool until the gelatin is set on top. A few minutes more and it will be ready for dessert.
Enjoy!!

Yield: 1 big tart, or several small ones, depending on the size of your mini pans. I was able to make 6 small tarts using half recipe!


Want a bite?!

Strawberry Panna Cotta

My favorite texture for food is “creamy”, for both sweet and savory; if the word creamy is used to describe it, then I know I am probably going to like the dish!
Dessert for me don’t need to be big, actually I like the small ones, like a small square of chocolate, or a piece of fruit with some adornment on it (covered in chocolate, a little honey on top… you got the idea). When fruit and creaminess are combined, then you are talking to me!
I absolutely love chocolate in all forms, and chocolate ice cream is definitely one of my top choices for sweets, but there is another creamy dessert that also makes me drool every time I see a picture or just think of it, and that is Panna Cotta.
So good, creamy, simple and delicious, there is not much to say about it, just that it is super easy to make and you can’t believe how good a dessert you get after just a bit of mixing and stirring.
Therecipe for Yogurt Panna Cotta is still my favorite, but I also like a recipe for Strawberry Panna Cotta that I found on Epicurious, it is light and very good.
I have made that recipe a couple of times already, but yesterday I decided to make it again with a few changes of my own. I used mostly drained yogurt (or greek yogurt, take a look here, this yogurt is the best!) and buttermilk in place of milk and cream. The end result was very creamy with a smooth texture to it. The epicurious recipe seems to be even lighter than mine, more silky I would say, mine was a little denser due to the higher amount of yogurt, but delicious just the same!
I love yogurt and this was a great dessert for a hot afternoon, everyone enjoyed it here. I served ours with macerated strawberries, as I believe that keeping it simple is the best way to enjoy panna cotta, it is yummy just as is!
Today, I am posting here is my version in case you want to try, enjoy!
Ana

Strawberry Yogurt Panna Cotta
3 cups chopped strawberries
1 ¾ cups drained yogurt
3 tablespoons sugar (Or more to taste)
2 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup buttermilk

Blend strawberries, yogurt, sugar, and buttermilk. Pass mixture through a sieve to strain the solids and seed bits. Reserve mixture into a bowl.
In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons water and let it bloom for 2 minutes. Put saucepan over low heat and warm it up just until the gelatin dissolves, do not boil.
Mix gelatin into strawberry mixture, until well incorporated. Pour panna cotta mixture into 6 small ramequins (4 oz each), let it chill in the freezer until ready to serve, about 6 hours or overnight. Serve with macerated strawberries (chop a few strawberries, mix with some sugar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The strawberries will release their juices and a delicious “sauce” will form, yum!)

Strawberry Muffins!

As you already know, I love baking muffins, so in order to use up some of the strawberries we picked last weekend I decided to make one of the boys favorite baked treats: Strawberry Muffins!
Although definitely not my favorite, the boys really like these muffins and always wait for me to make them during the strawberry season. A couple years ago I adapted a recipe from a cookbook I had (after making it as the original and not liking it much) and came up with this one.
These muffins are very moist and have a nice pink hue to them. They are very easy to make and also simple in its complexity. To improve the flavor you can add grated orange rind, as the strawberry-orange combo is a pretty nice one. However, I was out of oranges yesterday and ended up leaving it out, but the muffins came out ok!
The original recipe called for all-purpose flour; I normally use whole-wheat flour in my baked goods, but opted for a combination of the two here, as these muffins are quite delicate. I also added about ½ cup oats to the batter, as it always seems too liquid to me, and it worked well, it was just enough to get the batter together without adding heaviness to it (with a bonus of some added nutrients too!)
I find this a little on the sweet side, but the boys (Matheus and the Husband) enjoy it just like it is! I decreased the sugar amount from the original recipe, and you can add or take out based on your own taste.
Hope you enjoy this one, and it seems we will have some more strawberry goodies, as there are still some strawberries around (and we are already planning to go pick some more!).
Ana

 

Strawberry Muffins 

1 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, halved 
2 eggs
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat, ½ cup all-purpose)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350

Line muffin tin with baking cups or grease with coconut oil, reserve.

In a large bowl mash strawberries with a fork, add sugar, oil, egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix well just until all incorporated.

Pour batter into muffin cups and bake at pre-heated oven for about 18 minutes.

Makes 11 to 12 muffins depending on the size of your muffin tins.

Strawberries Anyone?!?!?!

Just a quick post to show some of the strawberries we picked at a nearby strawberry farm! Aren't they gorgeous?! Sweet and Juicy too!! Yum!
We froze most of them, for future use and smoothie making, but some of them are in the fridge, and I know they won't last long...
Watch for some strawberry recipes coming up soon!
Ana

Bavaroise

Once again I got inspired by a “blog friend” and made a winner recipe! I got today’s recipe from Akemi’s blog, Pecado da Gula.
I saw the recipe and picture and immediately copied it down, putting it on top of my to try pile of recipes. The Strawberry Bavaroise looked so good, plus I love creamy desserts.
And this one was delicious! A perfect dessert, just the way I like. Light and creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness, it had a mousse-like texture, but wasn’t as aerated. It was highly approved here at our home, being declared one of the best desserts that I made lately!
It is very simple and easy to make, and the end result is worth any effort.
I will make this again for sure, especially during the summer months. I think that this might also be good frozen, and am just wondering how other fruits would perform here. I guess a mix of berries would be awesome, and even mangoes might be good, yummy! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks Akemi!
Enjoy!

Ana

Check out Akemi’s blog for the recipe in Portuguese http://pecadodagula.blogspot.com/

Strawberry Bavaroise
360 grams Strawberries
250 ml milk
200 ml whipping cream
100 grams sugar
10 grams unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small cup sprinkle the gelatin over 4 tablespoons water to hydrate, reserve.
Puree the strawberries and lemon juice in a blender.
Put the milk in a pan and heat over medium-high heat, just until it starts to bubble on the sides, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat; add sugar and the gelatin to the pan, stirring until it dissolves.
Add the strawberry puree to the milk mixture in the pan.
Fill up a big bowl (or the kitchen sink) with ice-cold water, and put the pan over the ice water to cool up the mixture. Keep stirring with a spatula, until the strawberry mixture starts to thicken.
In a separate bowl whip the cream to soft peaks. Add half of the whipped cream to the strawberry mixture and mix to incorporate. Add the rest of the whipped cream and gently fold it in the mixture. Pour mixture on a deep Pyrex dish and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with strawberries and whipping cream if desired.